"And if they’re wrong — if Bernie’s the nominee come Cleveland — well, Bernie beats all the Republican candidates head-to-head, so at least (the Kasich argument will run) the Ohio Governor loses to Sanders by less than all the others."

I wonder if the Democratic party will be smart enough to realise that HRC is a loser in time for the delegates to consider elect-ability instead of cowering to the Clintons?

thadjock saidI think John Kasich is a fairly decent guy, or at least he puts on a fairly decent act of being a fairly decent guy.

he's got the Lehman bros stain on his CV but I would vote for him over HRC.

John Kasich has been a very good, effective governor for Ohio. That state's population and economy are on a steady rebound. Most of the cities are doing very well with the exception of both heavily democratic Toledo and Cleveland which are losing population and jobs to other parts of Ohio and the rest of the U.S. Columbus is a successful boomtown as well as Ohio's largest city. If Kasich gets the GOP nomination, he will get my vote if the democrats are stupid enough to pander to the ethically challenged, money grabbing Clintons. I would really love to see a Kasich vs. Sanders campaign. This would be a long overdue challenge between two highly qualified, pragmatic leaders who will debate and discuss the issues important to the American people rather than all the attention grabbing, childish mud slinging between the Donald and the hapless Hillary ho.

Both Trump and Cruz have said they will enact an obscure article which prohibits a candidate that has not won 15 states from being nominee.

Oops.

Sorry your Bernie propaganda won't fly with this one.

Not familiar with that bowl of spaghetti rule, but also those two could wind up going independent and further shred the GOP.

I'm not sure how the polls work. If they project just one candidate against another without including a third or fourth candidate in that particular race, then I'm not sure it tells us very much, particularly given the size and motion of the Trump brownshirts.

Just like how the polls showing a Sanders win hadn't considered (before he declined) a Bloomberg run which, while unlikely to shred the Democrats like this could hurt the already limping GOP, likely that would have taken a number of Democrats away from Sanders, jeopardizing his chances, untold by these head to head polls.

Here' a speculative version of how it could go: If Trump or Cruz is conventionally confirmed by GOP, then, check, a Hillary run takes them down.

If the Republican convention instead crowns a Kasich/Rubio ticket, then the very next day Hillary is indicted (which she eventually either beats or is pardoned) right before the Democratic convention so that Sanders brings the win home. Checkmate.

First on the democrat side there has been very little substantive debate. No real exposure of plans and media vetting of them. Therefore a nationwide poll reflects a electorate that really only the rabid democrat could elaborate on. The average voter has not been exposed to anything close to the coverage what the Republicans have had.

If one were to simply look at the Popular vote there is about 20% difference in the popular vote between the Republicans over the Democrats in the primaries.

That voter turnout is a significant and ominous sign for the Democrats.

Lets see how a American electorate would deal with a 75+ year old man that chose to honeymoon in the USSR. It would almost be a unearned gift for the Republicans to have to run against Sanders.

I think Kasich is a much better presidential candidate than either Trump or Cruz, but he's not going to win the Republican nomination. Because either Trump or Cruz will be the Republican nominee, there's no chance that Rubio will be the Republican VP candidate. Clinton will win the Democratic nomination, and she will go on to win the general election. The only remaining question is who will be the Democratic VP (and it will definitely NOT be Sanders).

DOMINUS saidI think Kasich is a much better presidential candidate than either Trump or Cruz, but he's not going to win the Republican nomination. Because either Trump or Cruz will be the Republican nominee, there's no chance that Rubio will be the Republican VP candidate. Clinton will win the Democratic nomination, and she will go on to win the general election. The only remaining question is who will be the Democratic VP (and it will definitely NOT be Sanders).

If it's trump, sure won't be Rubio after this visibly upset presser of his a month or so ago around the time of the Florida primary.

Like others such as the esteemed Mark Levin, I'm of the never Trump camp.

musclmed saidI dont know how anyone can predict these things. First Hillary is having trouble with young women, and is doing poorly in states with low minority percentages.

yeah she also has big trouble with men of all ages, but I guess old cows (middle aged women with empowerment issues) vote in droves,

and it remains to be seen if she can turn out the black vote in the kind of numbers Obama did, so I'm not so sure she's such a lock on the general election

she's a big money, big business, defense contractor profiteer, one percenter who's personal wealth was acquired by her/her husband's position(s) in government. The words that come out of their mouths are all sales pitches designed to put themselves in positions to profit personally. She can stand there and say she'll fight for the working class but her entire record proves she WON'T.

As an Ohioan, I am torn over "K-suck" being the GOP candidate that potentially runs against either of the Democratic candidates....If the poll numbers are to be believed, K-suck would win. My dilema is "good riddance", to a lack-luster Governor whose claims of turning Ohio around, are much more hype and spin, than reality. If he becomes President...he can do the same for the Nation and won't life be grand for the Nation! But is Mary Taylor really going to become the next Governor? OMG...she is a total nutjob...far to the extreme right....and a reputation of a fuckup.So does Ohio export K-suck to the nation and get a new fuckup for Governor or bite the bullet and take one for the nation and keep K-suck in Columbus and potentially hand the Presidency to the Democrats?

He may be, but IMO he won't win because approximately 1/3 of the Republican electorate will not be satisfied unless Donald Trump is the nominee and probably will either stay at home or write in Donald Trump because they hate the GOP establishment and consider Kasich to be a RINO. Unless enough moderate Democrats hate the Clintons bad enough to cross over and vote for Kasich (which I doubt) his candidacy is doomed.

IMO if Trump is the nominee he will win against Clinton because those Bernie voters ain't voting for Hillary and most Republicans will vote for Trump vetn though they don't like him to prevent another Clinton administration.

I say let any state that wants to, sign anti-lgbt legislation into law. Watch the businesses pull out, and their state collapse from economic devastation. I would never live in a state that has a majority rule of religious zealots, racists and bigots anyway, so go for it NC, MS, etc.

I say let any state that wants to, sign anti-lgbt legislation into law. Watch the businesses pull out, and their state collapse from economic devastation. I would never live in a state that has a majority rule of religious zealots, racists and bigots anyway, so go for it NC, MS, etc.

churches don't pay taxes, but Google and paypal would have.

That statement alone will cost Kasich most of the South if he is the nominee. Most Tarheels don't give two s---s about companies like Google, Paypal, etc. In fact I suspect that most of the people who are employed by those companies in NC probably moved to NC from somewhere else anyway and the Tarheels probably wish those Yankee carpet baggers would GTFO of NC. Half of my family is from NC and they are all a bunch of hardshell Baptists so I know how folks think down there.

Sporty_G saidAs an Ohioan, I am torn over "K-suck" being the GOP candidate that potentially runs against either of the Democratic candidates....If the poll numbers are to be believed, K-suck would win. My dilema is "good riddance", to a lack-luster Governor whose claims of turning Ohio around, are much more hype and spin, than reality. If he becomes President...he can do the same for the Nation and won't life be grand for the Nation! But is Mary Taylor really going to become the next Governor? OMG...she is a total nutjob...far to the extreme right....and a reputation of a fuckup.So does Ohio export K-suck to the nation and get a new fuckup for Governor or bite the bullet and take one for the nation and keep K-suck in Columbus and potentially hand the Presidency to the Democrats?

Hey, G-suck, you done with your name calling yet ... before I get started on you?

As an Ohioian, I'd hate to lose John Kasich as governor, but I think he'd be the best candidate from either party to be president.

He has both the successful administrative plus legislative experience that I like to see with any presidential candidate.

I went to school with him at OSU and although he can be a little prickly at times, he gets things done. He did back then and has ever since. And true, he's the new 'center' party. Nuttin wrong with that.

No way. Trump might well be easy enough to outmaneuver after the first ballot at the Republican convention, but not Cruz. Cruz is focussed and on the ball. I can't say I like his policies or beliefs much, but he's not going to let the nomination slip away without a knock-down-drag-out fight. And when it comes to delegates and votes, he's got a lot more in his arsenal to fight with than Kasich.

RunnerBen saidNo way. Trump might well be easy enough to outmaneuver after the first ballot at the Republican convention, but not Cruz. Cruz is focussed and on the ball. I can't say I like his policies or beliefs much, but he's not going to let the nomination slip away without a knock-down-drag-out fight. And when it comes to delegates and votes, he's got a lot more in his arsenal to fight with than Kasich.

He's a smart guy, but I don't think he has the depth of administrative experience that I'd like to see in a presidential candidate. Had he served as Texas gov. for a couple of terms (successfully) I might feel differently.

He's also a bit too much of a social conservative for an agnostic like as me.

Cruz graduated from Princeton University in 1992, and from Harvard Law School in 1995. Between 1999 and 2003, he was the Director of the Office of Policy Planning at the Federal Trade Commission, an Associate Deputy Attorney General at the United States Department of Justice, and domestic policy advisor to George W. Bush on the 2000 George W. Bush presidential campaign. He served as Solicitor General of Texas, from 2003 to 2008, appointed by Texas Attorney General, Greg Abbott. He was the first Hispanic, and the longest-serving, Solicitor General in Texas history. From 2004 to 2009, Cruz was also an adjunct professor at the University of Texas School of Law in Austin, where he taught U.S. Supreme Court litigation.

Cruz ran for the Senate seat vacated by fellow Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison, and in July 2012, defeated Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst, during the Republican primary runoff, 57%–43%. Cruz then defeated former state Representative Paul Sadler in the November 2012 general election, winning 56%–41%. He is the first Hispanic American to serve as a U.S. senator representing Texas, and is one of three senators of Cuban descent. He chairs the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Oversight, Federal Rights and Agency Activities and is also the chairman of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Space, Science and Competitiveness. In November 2012, he was appointed vice-chairman of the National Republican senatorial committee.